Slide fastener



D. L. HAIR SLIDE FASTENER July 5, 1966 Filed April 8. 1965 July 5, 1966 HAlR 3,259,476

SLIDE FASTENER Filed April 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,259,476 SLIDE FASTENER Dugald Laird Hair, 55 Warwick Square, London, England Filed Apr. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 449,367 2 Claims. (Cl. 29-1935) This application is a continuation-in-part of my parent application Serial No. 278,066, filed May 6, 1963, now abandoned.

The instant invention relates to sliding clasp fasteners of .the type wherein the interengaging members of each of the .two chains forming the fastener are .to be closed and opened by a sliding clasp, and wherein the interengaging members are attached 'to a tape of textile or other suitable web material of a flexible nature such that when .the members are engaged by the sliding clasp they are completely concealed by the tape or material to which the members are attached.

The prior art relating to slide fasteners of the type involved in :the present application has not provided such a fastener which can be formed from an indeterminate length of continuous strip material of metal or the like. In the prior ant no such fastener has been formed that will maintain its shape to provide the requisite strength for .the necessary working conditions of .the interengaging members.

The present invention overcomes the drawbacks in the prior art and provides a slide fastener wherein the interengagi-ng members are integrally connected together wherein there is provided a means to reduce to extremely small proportions the amount of scrap material resulting from the formation of the members.

The amount of scrap metal produced from fastener-s of the kind in the known prior art is directly proportional to the designed shape of :these members. It is noted that certain shapes will necessitate more scrap from their production than others.

In the present invention the interengaging members are integrated to each other along the indeterminate length of a continuous wire strip, not possible with members of the kind in the existing art.

One of the objects of the instant invention is to provide a slide fastener formed of an indeterminate length of material wherein the amount of scrap material formed during the manufacture is reduced .to a negligible amount.

A further object of the present invention is to provide means wherein the interengaging members of a slide fastener are successfully severed from an indeterminate length .of a continuous strip of extruded wire of metal or any other suitable material which is workable and maintains :the shape of the pre-formed stages equally spaced along the wire strip.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide .a continuous strip of extruded metal or the like wherein individual slide fastener elements are formed and severed from the strip and then placed upon a tape carrier.

A still further object of :the invention is to provide individual interengaging elements .of a slide fastener with raised and recessed portions symmetrically arranged and parallel in a line with :a continuous strip.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide a flat tight compact seam between the .tape carrying the interengaging members of the slide fastener and the attached covering material whereby no ridges or protruding pins are necessary.

Patented July 5, 1966 Other objects are to provide a slide fiastener having a minimum number of parts, that may be manufactured cheaply and efiiciently, and which is at all times convenient and safe in use.

For yet other objects of the invention, attention is directed .to the drawings forming a part of :the instant disclosure wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the end portion of a continuous strip used in the formation of the interengaging members of the instant fastener construction after passing through several preliminary stages and showing the relationship of the left-hand members.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view similar to plan 1, but disclosing the right-hand interengaging members.

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but disclosing a modified form for the left-hand interengaging members.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a right handed interengaging member of the type shown in FIGURE 3 having been closed about the .tape carrier.

FIGURE 5 is .a view similar to FIGURE 3, but disclosing the modified form of right-hand interengaging members.

FIGURE 6 shows a section through the frusturn portion of a series of interengaged members.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view through the slider tape, and covering material disclosing the interengaging members of the modified type.

In the various drawings, like reference characters have been used to indicate corresponding portions of the different figures.

In the instant invention the interengaging members of the fastener are formed in chains and each set of chains is attached along one edge of a length of tape or the like. When the members are fixed on the tape, they will form right-handed and left-handed sections. When the two sections are brought together into interengagement as shown in FIGURE 7 to close the fastener, the portion of the tape that connects the members to the covering material in each chain longitudinally adjacent the edge thereof is brought up tightly against the other tape bringing the covering material along with it in a similar fashion. The folds in the tape and the covering material push against each other so that when engagement is taking place in the normal manner this support is resolved into a thrust towards the seam thereby binding all of the sufaces together.

The interengaging members are shielded and free of the tape and covering material, the uncovered portion forming a base extension to the body in line with the covering material. As a result of this construction, the slider member may travel freely and clear of the tape and its covering material. When the covering material chosen is relatively stiff, the slider will not normally travel properly along the interengaging members, and an allowance of some type is made to the inward curving outer walls of the slider on the base extension of the interengaging members to come slightly below the trunk portion of these members so that the slider will travel free from the covering material.

The base extension provided on the body of the interengaging members adds greatly to the strength of these members and they can effectively resist tension on the seam built up from the covering materials.

It will be noticed that the interengaging members are mounted on a tape which is securely anchored thereto and is fixed to the covering material by means considerably simpler than the prior art and only a hem has to be made to achieve a well formed built up seam that can be made gas or fluid tight.

Referring to FIGURES 1 through 5, there are shown two different embodiments of the interengaging members. The preferred embodiment as disclosed in FIGURES l and 2 shows the right and left-hand shapes of the interengaging members. The alternative arrangement of the right and left-hand members is shown in FIGURES 3 and 5. In the preferred embodiment the heel (d) and the spur (c) are both sharply defined and have a similar contour in the base extensions a and a The similar configurations in the modified form in FIGURES 3 and will disclose that the heel is omitted entirely in the trunk portion (d) of the interengaging member and the spur (e) is more clearly defined on the base extensions a and a Hence, a deeper contour is formed. It will be seen that the interengaging members are formed from an indeterminate length of continuous extruded wire strip material having widths a a a and a in the different embodiments.

In FIGURES 1, 2, 3, and 5, the tape (f) to which the interengaging members are to be successively attached, is shown as removed slightly from the leading interengaging member. From this position the successive members are severed from the indeterminate length strip and are closed onto the intermittent supply of tape (1) as clearly shown in FIGURE 4. It will be noted that the successive members in the strip a are equally distant to each other. It will be noted that the interengaging members are symmetrically placed in regard to each other between two tracks of parallel lines longitudinal to the continuous strip. The spur of each of the embodiments has formed therein a raised frustum portion (b) which may either be a regular or irregular hexagonal frustum having an inclined axis. On the far side of each of the members below the frustum there is a similar surface shaped recess which reduces in size with depth to a greater degree than the engaging frustum raised portion as can be seen in FIGURE 6. A stopper means ((2) is formed as shown in the figures and acts to hold the slider at any selected position on the slide fastener. As seen in FIGURES 1, 2, 3, and 5, the spur portion has an apex (p) and a line extending from the apex (p), bisecting the slide notching in the indeterminate strip forms a base line in the interengaging member and the raised frustum portion (b) intersects this line at a right angle and establishes the successive stages a as shown in FIGURE 5.

When the end most strip is engaged on the tape (7) as shown in FIGURE 4, the base extension (a) extends predominently as shown and is common to all of the interengaging members. The trunk portion (d) is compressed tightly against the apex (p) of the spur and is anchored by the spur. The tape (1), being of compressible material, the bead will, therefore, fill the cavity in the formed draw of the member in an irregular manner. The stopper (c) can, if desired, be omitted without imp-airing the anchorage of the device on the tape (f).

With reference to FIGURE 6, which shows the frustum portions engaged in successive numbers, it will be seen that the recessed portions reduced to a greater extent with depth than the raised portions do with height. This construction provides an elongated shape at points of engagement and the base clearance provides clearance for flexibility.

FIGURE 7 shows the slider shell (/1) in position over the interengaging elements. It will be seen that below tape (1) the inward curving outer walls of the slider shell (11) provide a large guiding surface to the base extension a and a of the interengaging members within their overall depth. The compact, tightly built up seam supported at apex (p) can be seen. From FIGURE 7 it will be noted that the stopper means (0) act in conjunction with the raised frustum (b) to resist the pull on the seam through the covering material (g).

The cove-ring material (g), forms an abutting seam over the seam of the joinder of tape portions (1), by compressing folds in each other thus causing the tightly built up seam.

By comparing FIGURES 4 thorugh 7 it can be seen that the axis of the base in a line with the seam within the frustum of the interengaging members can be rotated 90 degrees when it is desired to further reduce the depth or the thickness of the seam.

A distinguishing feature of the interengaging elements rests in the fact that the main raised frustum portion and the recessed portion on the members are positioned centrally with the seam line of the fastener wherein a maximum amount of material is provided to obtain the maximum base line size of the frustum from the apex to the base of the members. The tapes are inclined toward the seam compacted against the interengaging members. The frustum portion (b) on the interengaging members, having an inclined axis producing a diminishing elongated form which is the area of engagement within the recesses. This serves to prevent the built up seam from opening. In small fasteners wherein a less exacting degree of tightness is desired the tightness in the built up seam is less important, and the square raised stopper portion (c) may be omitted.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment and several modifications of my invention, there is to be understood that the drawings and detailed disclosures are to be constructed in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense since various modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A flat-sided indeterminant length wire strip from which slide fastener elements are adapted to be formed, said strip having raised portions formed on one face thereof and recessed portions formed on the other face thereof, said raised and recessed portions being hexagonal in shape and defining the interlocking members of the finished fastener engaging elements, said portions being formed along one edge of said wire strip aligned and adjacent to each other, two of the sides of each raised and recessed portion being longitudinally parallel to the edges of the wire strip, the other four connecting sides forming an irregular hexagonal frustrum, each of said other four connecting sides having their bases extending along lines inclined to a plane normal to the longitudinal axis of said wire strip, a series of equally spaced V notches located on the edge of said strip between adjacent raised and recessed portions, one of said notch sides being parallel to two other sides of said raised and recessed portion, the remaining notch side being parallel to the remaining two sides of said raised and recessed portion, a series of equally spaced dissimilar two-sided notches formed on the other edge of said wire strip, the leading end of said strip being cut-away inwardly to define a pair of jaw portions adapted to receive a fastener tape therebetween, one of said jaw portions including a raised and recessed portion, the strip being adapted to be severed from the V-notch on one edge to the notch on the other edge in a manner to define similar jaw portions so as to form a plurality of slide fastener elements, each element adapted to be secured to a tape, said fastener elements in use adapted to have the raised portion of one of said elements interlocked with said recessed portion of another of said elements, the tape material within the jaw portions of said elements being folded over so that the folds meet edge to edge to form an abutting seam when said fastener is closed.

2. A wire strip as defined in claim 1 wherein there is provided an additional raised square cross-section portion adjacent to each of the raised frustrurns and on the side 5 6 thereof opposite said one edge of said strip, two of the 2,959,833 11/ 1960 Ryser 24-205.1 sides of said additional portion being parallel to the edges 2,977,656 4/ 1961 McNamara 24-20515 of said strip, said additional portion serving -as a stopper 3,013,319 12/ 1961 Ryser 24-205.14 means in the finished fastener. 3,078,537 2/ 1963 Morin 242()5.1 5 References Cited by the Examiner 1 2 412 fl g l PIATENTS 6 4 9 5 ustra ia. UNITED STATES PATENTS 201,777 5/1955 Australia. 2,448,192 8/1948 Poux. 633,963 12/ 1949 Great Britain. 2,782,481 2/ 1957 Mercer. 1O 2 10 175 1 1957 Poux' WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

2,811,764 11/1957 Morin. BERNARD A. GELAK Examiner. 

1. A FLAT-SIDED INDETERMINANT LENGTH WIRE STRIP FROM WHICH SLIDE FASTENER ELEMENTS ARE ADAPTED TO BE FORMED, SAID STRIP HAVING RAISED PORTION FORMED ON ONE FACE THEREOF AND RECESSED PORTIONS FORMED ON THE OTHER FACE THEREOF, SAID RAISED AND RECESSED PORTION BEING HEXAGONAL IN SHAPE AND DEFINING THE INTERLOCKING MEMBERS OF THE FINISHED FASTENER ENGAGING ELEMENTS, SAID PORTIONS BEING FORMED ALONG ONE EDGE OF SAID WIRE STRIP ALIGNED AND ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER, TWO OF THE SIDES OF EACH RAISED AND RECESSED PORTION BEING LONGITUDINALLY PARALLEL TO THE EDGES OF THE WIRE STRIP THE OTHER FOUR CONNECTING SIDES FORMING AN IRREGULAR HEXAGONAL FRUSTRUM, EACH OF SAID OTHER FOUR CONNECTING SIDES HAVING THEIR BASES EXTENDING ALONG LINES INCLINED TO A PLANE NORMAL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID WIRE STRIP, A SERIES OF EQUALLY SPACED V NOTCHES LOCATED ON THE EDGE OF SAID STRIP BETWEEN ADJACENT RAISED AND RECESSED PORTIONS, ONE OF SAID NOTCH SIDES BEING PARALLEL TO TWO OTHER SIDES OF SAID RAISED AND RECESSED PORTION, THE REMAINING NOTCH SIDE BEING PARALLEL TO THE REMAINING TWO SIDES OF SAID RAISED AND RECESSED PORTION, A SERIES OF EQUALLY SPACED DISSIMILAR TWO-SIDED NOTCHES FORMED ON THE 